The Legacy of Paneau: Veracity
by Sile Crowley
Summary: Sequel to LOP: Conversion. Koril Rys'tihn discovers the truth behind his tenuous alliance with the mysterious Horatio Sheridan and the dangerous consequences it brings. Occurs 0.7 APC.
1. Chapter 1

In a cold sweat, Koril Rys'tihn shot straight up in bed, coughing and gasping as if he had been drowning, and he had been. In his nightmare, he had just relived the most terrifying events in his life, all interwoven in one mentally exhausting hour of sleep. It had been months, even years since those things had happened; why had his mind strung them all together suddenly when he hadn't dreamed about them before at all?

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed as he continued to cough, and his old chest wound ached intensely despite his subsiding choking. Even massaging the thick, unsightly scar did nothing to subdue the pain. Though he had hoped he hadn't woken her, he felt Elena's soft hand on his shoulder.

"Koril?"

He shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair. "Just need a glass of water." He added softly after a moment, "Go back to sleep." He stood and stepped around the corner quietly, filling a small cup with some water from a chilled pitcher. The coolness of the water radiated from his throat through his sore chest, soothing it as he continued to drink, though it did nothing for his frayed nerves. The nightmare had sent his mind into a panic, and he knew he'd be getting no more sleep that night.

After waiting a few minutes to allow Elena time to fall back to sleep, he carefully stepped back into the room and grabbed a light robe, slipping it on as he walked out onto the balcony. The night air was cool and stung to draw into his aching lungs, but looking out over the silent midnight landscape that surrounded his home, the Rys'tihn Manor, his mind easily wandered to other concerns.

His nightmare had begun like a perverse memory. His worst, most disheartened inner thoughts were voiced by people he had loved and lost just before he relived the instant they had succumbed to their fates. His mother, who had died six years ago honorably defending her planet from invading enemies, stood before him and told him he had failed her. In his heart, he knew she would have never blamed him, but no sooner had she accused him, she was gunned down by a haze of merciless blaster fire. In this surreal dream, he had been paralyzed by her aberrant allegation, and as a consequence, he was powerless to protect her.

The same thing happened as he saw his queen, Tascit Arosc-Banarecc, accusing him of abandoning her as the Dalon Palace collapsed on top of her. Again, bewildered by her uncharacteristic anger at him, he couldn't react. Another sequence involved Master Noor dying at the hands of a Dark Jedi, but not before he charged Koril with being a worthless partner for Elena since he couldn't even protect himself from a negligible Force Lightning attack. The last vision, though, was what had troubled him most.

He saw himself standing in front of the assembled citizens of Dalon in the Council Hall, and just as he began to address them and inform them of the real mastermind behind the Governor Removals, he saw his guilty father in the middle of the crowd. Though dozens of rows away from him, Koril heard Merli'il's voice clearly as he spoke.

_"You are a disgrace and a disappointment. How dare you tarnish the Rys'tihn Royal Family."_

Koril leaned on the balcony railing. His father's words echoed in his mind, and he winced as he relived the moment the bounty hunter's spear had hit him. He had woken up at that instant in his nightmare just minutes earlier, coughing and choking as his mind had even replicated the same drowning feeling induced by the severe bleeding the spear had caused. Every aspect of the dream had been exceptionally vivid and real, making it all the more difficult for him to distinguish between his actual memories and what his mind had created.

As far as he knew, he hadn't encountered anything that would've reintroduced those painful memories into his thoughts. Things were going well on Paneau, despite a minor setback a few months ago. A strong showing of navy power had repelled the Huxnel easily enough when they attacked, and they hadn't been heard from since. Aside from a few initial disputes with the new Governors, the weeks had been going by quietly, and he was glad they were.

Hopefully sleeping in his room behind him was his fiancée, Jedi Knight Elena-May Lyran. Not only were they having to plan their wedding that would be taking place next week, but they were also preparing for the birth of their son. Though Elena was only five months along, they were already well prepared, having transformed the room beside theirs into a humble nursery. Being able to do so with little else weighing on his mind had been immensely relaxing. Hardly anything had marred the quality time he and Elena had spent together recently; how had such dark, depressing thoughts surfaced and manifested in his dreams so suddenly?

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't heard Elena's soft footsteps coming up behind him.

"Koril," she began quietly, "come back to bed." She stepped up beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist. He felt her soft, swollen stomach against his side, but even her slightest touch would've helped to soothe his nerves.

He turned to her and hugged her tightly, kissing her softly on the top of her head. "I'm sorry I woke you."

Still in his embrace, she leaned back and examined his face, her own overwritten with worry. "You sounded like you were in a lot of pain. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

He nodded as he drew in a long breath, looking down to keep her from seeing his wince. He knew she could tell, anyway. "Just...painful nightmares."

Without asking for clarification, Elena gently slipped her cool hand just under the edge of his robe and pressed her icy palm against his scarred chest. Koril smiled wanly. Her chilled touch was comfort enough, but she lessened the lingering pain with the Force. He could have forgotten about anything else...

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Instantly, his pain returned. He didn't want to discuss and therefore relive it, but Elena continued to plead silently. He shook his head.

"I don't want to worry you."

Her response was almost immediate. "And I don't want you to carry this alone again."

Though Koril knew his nightmare wasn't in any way similar to what he had experienced before, he had to admit that telling even just one other person about it had been immensely relieving. A disturbing vision of the future had haunted his dreams months ago, and as disastrous as it was, it was eventually realized just as he had seen it. This nightmare, however, couldn't be tied to his Force sensitivity at all; the people in it were already dead.

"I saw four people who have been important in my life," he began quietly, looking out onto the twinkling horizon. "My mother, Queen Tascit, Master Noor, and my father. And I watched them all die...after they told me how disappointing I was to them, how I had failed them."

"Oh, Koril," Elena said breathlessly as she reached up and stroked his cheek, "you know that's not true."

He lowered his gaze and nodded. "I know, and I know it's just a dream, but the look on my father's face... I...can't get it out of my head."

"Koril, look at me."

Releasing a slow breath, he turned to face her. She gripped his hands tightly and stepped closer to him, gazing deeply into his eyes.

"The _only_ person your father could ever be disappointed in...is himself. He left you a terrible burden to carry, and it wasn't fair to you." Her expression lightened as she continued, revealing a small hint of a smile. "But look what you've done. Paneau has been set right, even after all the damage suffered. You are the king's closest advisor and friend, and the entire planet looks to you for protection and guidance. There's no way _anyone_ could be disappointed in you."

Elena's smile broadened, and Koril smiled, too. Even out on the dimly lit balcony, he saw her emerald eyes sparkle, and he felt her long, silken nightgown gently brush against his skin as it billowed in a calm breeze. He freed one of his hands and placed it at the base of her neck, drawing her even closer as he kissed her sweetly. In five days, they would finally be married, and in a few months, they'd be parents...

Though their lips were still locked together, he felt Elena's body tense against him as she made a small gasp. Instantly he released her and grasped her shoulders, searching her face apprehensively.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Her brows were furrowed in concentration, but her eyes were unfocused and staring at nothing, escalating his anxiety. When she finally spoke, her voice was hardly louder than a whisper.

"Do your guards normally make rounds up here at this hour of the night?"

Koril hardly breathed. "No."

"Then why are there two strangers entering our bedroom?"

Elena lifted her head and met Koril's eyes, and as their gazes locked, they both realized at the same time their predicament: neither was armed, and they were quickly being trapped out on the balcony.


	2. Chapter 2

Quieting their footsteps as best they could, Koril and Elena quickly stepped over to the closed balcony door and froze, both listening intensely for anything they could hear inside. Other than the sound of his own rapid, shallow breathing, Koril heard nothing, but behind him, Elena was still on edge.

"There's someone on the roof, too," she breathed. Koril turned to face her, speaking quietly but strongly.

"There are small grips alternating down the side of this wall from the balcony, take them down to th--"

"No," she interrupted heatedly, "I am _not_ helpless, and I'm not leaving you. I can see things you can't; let me go in first." Koril shook his head.

"It's too dangerous. There are guards just behind the garden --"

Though Elena had begun to protest further, a metal canister fell from above and clinked as it bounced and finally settled on the stone floor beside them. Before Koril could tell what it was, it suddenly flew off the balcony into the air, away from them. After a brief, tense silence, it exploded loudly into a brief fiery ball, then dissipated into a plume of white, powdery smoke that drifted down to the gardens below. Unnerved by how close the explosive had just been to them both, Koril looked over at Elena, who still had her hand outstretched over the balcony ledge, and tugged her by the shoulders back over to the door, preparing to open it.

"Stay behind me," he demanded anxiously; this time, though, Elena didn't protest. Instead, she extended her hand upward, and after a few seconds, he heard a loud thud on the roof overhead. Wordlessly, Elena righted herself and returned to the door, reaching around Koril to press its panel and open it.

Released from the room, a thick, hazy fog swirled around them, and almost instantly, Koril felt his knees beginning to buckle as his vision blurred, his eyes stinging from the smoke. He hardly had time to think, much less react. First an explosive, now coma gas? He desperately struggled to stay on his feet, and with what balance he had left, he held his arm out to keep Elena from going in. As he stumbled backward to draw in clean air, though, Elena quickly stepped around him and disappeared into the smoke.

Alarmed, Koril tried to grab her, stop her, but meeting the wall of toxic gas again, he choked and fell back. He tugged his robe off and wrapped the ends around his hands to cover his nose and mouth, and just as he was about to charge blindly into the fog, an armed, helmeted man stepped out onto the balcony, looking the other direction. Koril had a split-second surprise advantage over the man, and taking it, he wrapped his robe around the man's arm and twisted it, knocking his blaster away. The man tried to fight back, but Koril already subdued him, pulling his restrained arm behind him and forcing him to his knees from behind by kicking the backs of his legs.

Without warning, Koril was forcefully knocked down from above as a second helmeted man landed on him and wrestled him to the ground, releasing the first. Koril struggled with the second man fiercely, but when the first tried to retrieve his blaster, Koril watched as he was powerfully thrown to the other end of the balcony by an invisible force. Just as quickly, the second man was picked up and hurled on top of the other as Elena stepped out of the thinning smoke, her lightsaber hilt in hand.

Koril hastily scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily from the struggle. Elena swiftly strode over to the two men, her lightsaber hilt leveled at them; Koril followed suit, grabbing one of their blasters. He stood beside Elena, and he saw the slightest hesitation, the slightest flinch as she clicked her lightsaber's power on...but its green blade never materialized.

"Don't worry," one of the men on the balcony floor said with a low laugh, "it'll work once we leave."

Elena narrowed her eyes, but as she began to retort, choking sounds echoed from inside their bedroom; his guards, coming to their aid, were getting caught up in the coma gas still lingering in the room. Before Koril could say anything or stop her, Elena disappeared inside again. Though his pulse was already racing, he hardly felt his heart beating as he waited, anxiously listening for her while he kept the blaster trained on the two men on the balcony floor in front of him.

Within a few seconds, the white smoke began to gently billow out the door and over the balcony, as if directed by a soft breeze. As soon as it cleared, Elena stepped back onto the balcony with five armed guards who quickly descended upon the two, bound them, and began to pull them up onto their feet. Koril stood beside Elena, gripping her arm as he wordlessly searched her face. She shouldn't have gone anywhere near that coma gas; though its effects were only temporary on adults, it could have devastating consequences for someone much smaller...

"It's okay," Elena said quietly without looking at him, "I didn't breathe any of it."

Relieved for the time being, Koril dropped his hand and returned his attention to the two would-be assassins. His guards brought them forward, their hands bound behind their backs.

"Remove their helmets," he ordered with an edge in his voice. The guards complied and pulled them off the two roughly. One immediately lowered his head, hiding his face from them, and the other met their gaze squarely. Beside Koril, Elena looked angered.

"You again," she accused the one looking up. She glanced at Koril as she explained. "He was one of the five who detained me on that Huxnel cruiser a few months back." Koril narrowed his eyes, too.

"And the other?"

At Koril's prompting, one of the guards nearest the second detainee tugged his head up by a fistful of his hair, and Koril had to work his hardest to keep his expression neutral.

_Horatio Sheridan._

Horatio held their gazes intently as he shook his head the slightest bit. As much as Koril wanted to shoot him on the spot, he decided there would be time for that later. After a tense moment, Elena shook her head, too.

"No, I don't recognize him."

Koril nodded and addressed his guards. "Take them to the Dalon Detention Center, and have them placed in separate cells. I want to interview them individually myself." As the guards complied and began to take the two away, Elena stopped them with a question.

"There were three of you. Where's the third?"

Both the men looked confused and remained silent, prompting further questions from Elena, her voice on edge.

"I know there were three of you, I could sense you all. Where is the third?"

An unseen voice spoke from inside the room. "In here, m'lady." Koril recognized the voice as his lead night guard, Lt. Ader Sih'strinn, and both he and Elena stepped inside with the other guards and the two detainees close behind. With another group of armed guards flanking him, Lt. Sih'strinn was kneeling beside the motionless body of a young woman he recognized, crumpled on the floor. She had shoulder-length brown hair, and she dressed in the simple but elegant uniform of the Manor's kitchen staff, a delicately embroidered shirt with the Rys'tihn crest and deep purple pants. As Koril stepped up to them, Lt. Sih'strinn confirmed what he already suspected.

"One of ours, Sir, knocked out by the coma gas. She should wake up soon."

Though he was perplexed, Koril nodded, directing the guards to leave with Horatio and the other. Despite not having asked for anything, he felt a different robe being pulled over his shoulders. Elena brought the sides together in front of him, looking up at him with a determined gaze.

"I can speed up her recovery, bring her around sooner. You should get dressed and go with them to the detention center. I'll stay here and interview her when she wakes up."

Koril sighed. As much as he hated to leave her, it made sense for him to interrogate the two as soon as possible to figure out what was going on. He glanced over at Lt. Sih'strinn, who stood and nodded in understanding.

"We'll be here, Sir."

Koril nodded, too, looking back to Elena. Stepping closer to her, he lowered his head and gently rested his forehead against hers, still somewhat shocked at everything that had just happened so quickly. How lucky had they been to have already been awake and alert when the attack began, and even more fortunate had they been to have left their bedroom, out of the reach of the toxic gas that easily would've knocked them out before they had even noticed.

Sighing again, Koril brushed Elena's cheek with his fingers before he lifted her chin up slightly to kiss her. After a moment, she squeezed his hand as she stepped back, and after tugging her own robe around herself, she began to tend to the young woman. Koril watched her briefly, but with escalating anger as he mulled over the task at hand, he stepped around the corner to the closet, grabbing one of his uniforms. No one had ever disrespected him so by taking advantage of the second chance he had granted, as Horatio had, and he was furious.


	3. Chapter 3

Within a few minutes of Koril leaving with the other guards, Elena had at least gotten the unconscious woman to stir. Lt. Sih'strinn and two of his guards had moved the woman downstairs to a padded bench in a small sitting area off the main foyer, and they had bound her hands in front of her as a safety precaution. Per Koril's orders, guards swarmed the Manor's numerous hallways, though Elena thought them unnecessary after the fact, especially since they distracted her. Almost protectively, Kaydee, the Rys'tihn's protocol droid, stayed near Elena, no doubt at Koril's orders, as well. Though the droid remained quiet and out of the way, Elena still felt her hovering around.

The flurry of activity made it difficult for Elena to concentrate. Though she was desperately focusing on healing the woman and removing the gas's toxins from her system, Elena could hear every conversation, every quiet whisper around her. A few of the night staff who had been nearby had positively identified the young woman as a kitchen hand, but none knew her name. Just a few more minutes of work, and Elena would have her awake and talking...

Satisfied with the woman's progress, Elena sat back in her chair beside the bench, her back aching. She had only been healing the woman for five minutes at the most, but she had suddenly felt the strain, her body protesting the stress. Despite her discomfort, she had to keep herself from rolling her eyes as Lt. Sih'strinn jumped to her side.

"M'lady?"

"I'm _fine_," she answered immediately. She kept her voice calm, though; she would have at least four more months of people panicking at her every sigh. She doubted if she would ever get used to it.

Lt. Sih'strinn nodded but stayed close, and all eyes and blasters were trained on the woman as she continued to show improvement. As Elena finally got her back pain under control, the young woman opened her eyes and focused on Elena sitting beside her. Elena watched her warily, her hand on her saber hilt at her belt.

The woman's expression relaxed, recognizing Elena. "Miss Lyran," she addressed her comfortably. Then, as if realizing something, she instantly became more alert, taking in a sharp gasp. "Miss Lyran!" She looked around nervously, noticing the armed guards around her.

Though confused at the woman's reaction, Elena kept her expression and her voice neutral. "So you know who I am. Who are you?"

The woman looked down and saw her hands bound at her wrists, and she still looked nervous as she glanced at the guards again.

Elena narrowed her eyes. "_Who_ are you?"

The woman once again looked at the guards, reluctant to speak in front of them for some reason. Elena's patience was wearing thin, but finally, the woman answered.

"Milowi Jax," she said quietly. Elena sighed. Jax must be a common name on Paneau: Koril's best friend Brent, the Royal Navy captain who had greeted her on her return to Paneau a few months ago...

"And what were you doing unconscious on my bedroom floor?"

Again Milowi looked at the guards, but she answered more quickly this time, her expression almost repentant. "I was trying to protect you."

Elena hardly kept herself from laughing. "Protect me? With coma gas?"

Milowi shook her head. "That wasn't me, I was trying to stop those two men who were about to attack. One of them must've released the coma gas when they saw me."

Elena furrowed her brows. "The staff around here says you're a kitchen hand, not a guard. What were you doing up on the fourth floor?"

Milowi's panicked look returned, but after a few tense moments, she sighed and her expression finally fell in resignation. "I followed the two men, m'lady. It's my job."

Elena blinked. "I don't understand."

After glancing up at the guards one last time, Milowi lowered her head. "I'm a covert agent for the Rys'tihn Ghost Heirs. I help to protect the Known Heirs by any means possible without their knowledge." Beside her, the guards lowered and holstered their blasters, as if they, too, were relinquishing their act.

Still confused, Elena struggled to comprehend what Milowi meant. Covert agents? What else about these royal families did she not know about? Had the guards known her identity the whole time?

Without further prompting, Milowi continued. "I am the eyes, ears, and hands of the Ghost Heirs, keeping them constantly informed of what's going on, where their heirs are, and doing anything I can to safeguard them."

"Without the heirs knowing?"

Milowi nodded. "Our success hinges on our anonymity. You heirs aren't supposed to know about us."

Though Elena worked to suppress her indignation, it was becoming more apparent in her voice. "'Us'? How many of you _are_ there?"

Finally meeting Elena's gaze, Milowi shrugged. "Dozens. And there are probably dozens more that even I don't know about."

Elena sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, quickly becoming infuriated. "Then I can't imagine why we'd want to know that we're being watched, spied on every minute of every day."

Milowi looked sympathetic. "Please, m'lady, we're not spies. We're more like...an elite guard." Unconvinced, Elena continued to level an angered glare at her, but Milowi went on, undaunted. "I'm sure you remember the difficult time Veon Banarecc had while in exile. Though he didn't know it, he was never alone. Our agents posed as kind strangers who offered him a safe place to stay when he needed it."

Though she was far from being at peace with it, Elena relaxed somewhat. No wonder Veon had survived his exile, even with a bounty hunter on his heels in Coruscant's dangerous, unforgiving lower levels. She hadn't seen Veon much since his return to Paneau, but during what little time she had spent with him, she could tell how much the experience had changed him. Apparently thanks to these "covert agents," he had managed to make it back to Paneau alive, but at a devastating cost to his spirit, his personality. Elena wasn't sure whether to thank them, or to blame them.

"I know it's a lot to take in, m'lady, and I'm sorry I nearly failed you. It's not going to happen again."

Releasing a long, calming breath, Elena sat forward and motioned for Lt. Sih'strinn to unlock Milowi's binders. As he complied, Elena spoke with a more level head. "So you followed the two upstairs. From where?"

Milowi rubbed her wrists. "From the Retreat, I'm afraid." She gave a small nod to one of the guards, who then left the room immediately. As Elena watched him leave, Milowi explained. "He's sending a message out to the other agents, alerting them to what happened. Hopefully they can get to the Retreat quickly and find out where the breach is."

"Or we could go right now," Elena said with a commanding edge. But again undeterred, Milowi simply held Elena's gaze.

"What would you tell Koril?"

Elena hesitated the slightest moment. "That the kitchen hand saw them come in from the Retreat's underground passage, so we needed to investigate." For once, someone wasn't going to tell her she couldn't go because it was dangerous?

Milowi nodded, and though they both got disapproving looks from Lt. Sih'strinn, he remained silent. Elena stood and tugged her lightsaber off her belt as she stepped away, inspecting it briefly. As one of her attackers had indicated earlier, its green blade erupted from the base with its characteristic _snap-hiss_, humming in her hand as she tested it for a few moments. She'd have to dismantle it later to determine how it had been suddenly disabled when she needed it, but for now, she would have to rely on her other abilities to protect her should they run into any trouble.

Silent until they began to leave, Kaydee approached Elena, stopping her by stepping in front of her.

"I do beg your pardon, Mistress Elena, but in Master Koril's stead, I must voice my opposition to your participation in this venture."

Elena sighed and sidestepped the droid. "I appreciate your concern, Kaydee, but I'll be fine. I'm no less capable than I was before." Persistent, though, Kaydee followed.

"Yes, Mistress Elena, but you are indeed more vulnerable, and as you are carrying one of two remaining Rys'tihns, I must protest!"

At that, Elena stopped mid-step and rounded on the droid, leveling an intense gaze at her. "I am only as vulnerable as I allow myself to be. I know that this is not the ideal situation, but I think that for the moment, my safety can take a back seat to protecting this family's legacy and history, don't you?"

For once, the droid was speechless, and without any further protest, Elena turned and left with Milowi and the guards, heading out for the Rys'tihn Retreat in the morning's earliest hours.


	4. Chapter 4

With a handful of guards following him and struggling to keep up, Koril made his way through the Dalon Detention Center, hardly acknowledging anyone who saluted him as he passed. One of his generals met him in the hall, but Koril hardly heard him as they walked.

"...gotten no reports of any suspicious traffic, but patrols are combing the spaceports and transports are being checked twice before unloading their passengers..."

The dark grey halls leading down the cell block were nearly empty, as were the cells along the corridors, except for one small room at the end of the hall. The general continued to give his report, but all talk ceased as Koril approached the cell with Horatio Sheridan inside. With his hands still bound behind him, Horatio stepped back guardedly as Koril deactivated the cell's shield and walked up to him with an angry, intense expression.

"Koril, let me explain," Horatio tried to buffer, but Koril had no interest in hearing it. Wordlessly, he forcefully shoved Horatio against the wall behind him, then pressed his forearm against his throat, compressing his airway. Horatio was unable to defend himself, but he wasn't trying to, either. Koril pressed harder.

"How do you explain endangering my son's life!"

As Horatio tried to choke out a response, General Erro and two guards pulled Koril back by his arms and held him momentarily before he shook them off. Horatio coughed and gasped as he recovered, watching Koril warily.

"I gave you a second chance," Koril continued heatedly, "and this is how you repay me?" To Koril's surprise, as Horatio improved he looked...remorseful, not angry as he should have been after being attacked.

"I had no choice," Horatio finally answered hoarsely. "I knew you two weren't in the room anymore, and I had to stop someone who was following me."

Unconvinced, Koril narrowed his eyes. "I should have left you in that wreckage."

But Horatio persisted. "You're not listening! I was trying to keep you safe!"

"And I'm supposed to believe you when you disappear months ago, then return to break into my home armed with blasters and coma gas?"

Frustrated, Horatio sighed and continued to plead his case. "I _had_ to. The Huxnel think I'm working for them, but I'm undercover, trying to bring down their whole operation." He paused briefly, explaining himself further as Koril's look changed little. "I came with that other Huxnel agent so I could warn you, but you were outside, and I was being followed. I would have gotten you out safely, but when my partner attacked first..."

Koril didn't flinch. "You realize there's no way for me to trust that what you're saying is true."

For the first time, Horatio matched Koril's dark expression, challenging him. "I'm working with a group under Joshua Redgrave, ask him. How else do you think I got to Elena so quickly in that cruiser a few months ago?"

Koril clenched his jaw. Something wasn't making sense...

"You didn't mention any of this before on Salastryn after we treated you."

The last time Koril had seen Horatio had been several months prior. Thanks to Elena's efforts, she, Koril and his officers had survived the explosion of a crashing fighter fuselage from a dogfight ensuing overhead in Salastryn's atmosphere. Nearby, though, Horatio's hauler was severely damaged, even though he had tried to escape the blast. The Huxnel craft tumbled and fell from the sky, rolling end on end numerous times before finally settling in a dense woodland.

While returning to space with a few Royal Navy captains who had accompanied him to Salastryn, Koril spotted the destruction path the hauler had created in the serene landscape and had his shuttle land to investigate. Inside the battered ship, they found Horatio barely alive, but owing him for helping Elena escape from the Huxnel, Koril ordered his officers to get him to a medical center. After he had recovered, Horatio said little of his motivations for rescuing Elena, other than that he had been aboard the Huxnel cruiser hunting for something they had stolen from him and decided he'd help her.

It was the same story Horatio had told Elena, and even though he was still suspicious, Koril decided to allow Horatio to leave. He should have investigated more, pressed Horatio further for more answers, but distracted by the Huxnel's abrupt assault and departure, he had other things on his mind.

Bringing Koril back to the present, Horatio leaned against the wall behind him with his head lowered.

"I didn't think we'd be coming back."

Koril furrowed his brows. It wasn't much of an explanation, but for some reason, Koril was beginning to believe him.

"'We'? Are there more Huxnel here?"

Wordlessly, Horatio nodded, still looking at the floor. Koril felt his pulse quicken.

"Why? What do they want with us? The Diamond's long gone, I so--"

"They were never after the Diamond," Horatio interrupted, raising his head enough to look up at Koril. The confused look on Koril's face prompted Horatio to continue resignedly. "It was a feint, a test to see what kind of forces you could amass and how quickly."

Koril's expression fell. Not only had his Royal Navy stepped up to confront the Huxnel's modified Star Destroyer, but numerous squadrons from Salastryn joined in, as well as nearby New Republic squads. Troubled even more, Koril stepped closer to Horatio who reflexively straightened, anticipating another attack. Koril kept his distance, though, his voice intense.

"Why? _What_ do they want?"

Glancing at the general and officers who were hovering behind Koril, Horatio hesitated. "Elena," he said carefully. "They said she took something from them when they first assaulted Paneau, but I don't know what it is."

Koril narrowed his eyes, watching for any flinch, any twitch that might contradict Horatio's sudden conscience. His expression never faltered, though, forcing Koril to shift his focus. What could Elena have taken from them? She was only fifteen during the attack, barely a fighter, let alone a Jedi. Other than robbing them of a victorious takeover of the capital city, Koril could think of nothing else. But rather than expressing his fear for Elena's safety, he leveled his anger at Horatio instead, his eyes dark.

"You _will_ find out."

Horatio blinked, confused. "You're...releasing me?"

"This is your **last** chance. If any harm comes to Elena, the next time we meet, I will not hesitate to make you regret it."

Koril held Horatio's gaze intensely, ensuring that his threat was understood. Though visibly on edge, Horatio nodded nervously after a few tense moments. Koril turned abruptly, leaving.

"General Erro, with me. Lieutenants," he addressed the two guards as he passed them, "he gets a five second head start, then I want the alarm sounded and every available guard on the chase."

Walking the opposite direction, Koril listened as a lone pair of footsteps swept down the hall behind him, followed by others after a brief silence. An ear-splitting alarm pierced through the corridor, releasing a flood of guards. Beside Koril, General Erro raised his voice to be heard over the alarm.

"Sir, are you sure that releasing Sheridan is the r--"

But Koril held up a hand to silence him until they stepped into a secure office, sealing out the deafening alarm. While stepping up to a comm panel, he reached up to his neck and dug under his collar, pulling a pendant chain over his head. In his palm, he studied his family's crest briefly before placing it atop the console. General Erro stepped up behind him.

"Sir?"

The comm panel lit up with a preprogrammed destination it read from the crest. Koril didn't look up as he quickly typed out and sent a brief message.

"I don't have much choice right now. If he is telling the truth, that they intend to take Elena, then I'm counting on him to protect her...if I can't."

General Erro inclined his head, concerned. "Sir, we can have protective details and extra security with her at all ti--"

"She wouldn't allow it."

"Then I'm afraid I don't follow, Sir."

Koril sighed, picking up his crest and pulling it over his head, tucking it back under his uniform. Koril had only known General Erro for a few years, but he was highly decorated for his command during the Huxnel Invasion six years ago and had served Paneau well over his career. More than ten years younger than Koril's father Merli'il, the blond, hazel-eyed General was relatively young for his rank, but then, so was Koril.

He glanced at General Erro, his tiredness finally becoming evident in his voice. "I know her, and I know what she's going to try to do." Turning back to the window that overlooked the detention center compound, Koril watched as a lone figure stole across a shaded creek bed, disappearing behind nearby buildings.

"At least this way, she'll have a guardian on the inside."


	5. Chapter 5

Though Elena had readied herself to find the Rys'tihn Retreat in disarray, she was unprepared for what she saw. Stepping into the Retreat's main hall from the Manor's underground passage, the signs of a fierce firefight were immediately evident. The walls that were lined with large priceless paintings and delicate tapestries were covered in blaster burns, and decorations and furniture were knocked over and broken, instantly destroying the Retreat's tranquility. Elena pulled her lightsaber off her belt and powered it on, sending its _snap-hiss_ echoing down the eerie hall. Behind her, Milowi drew a blaster from a holster hidden at her waist. Four security guards from the Manor had accompanied the two women, but Elena was beginning to wonder if they were going to need backup.

"Other agents couldn't get a response from either Cade or Deilia," Milowi said quietly as they continued into the Retreat's main lounge atrium. Elena hardly breathed, all senses on edge. Reaching out with the Force, she probed the nearby rooms, but sensing no one, she broadened her focus, searching the entire Retreat. On the second level she could sense two people, one of which was very weak, and both were familiar presences.

Elena turned back to the guards behind her, looking at the Captain, the senior officer of the group. "I want this entire place scanned and its security reconfigured immediately. If there are _any_ Huxnel still here, I want them found and apprehended." With a quick nod, the Captain returned to the passage, pulling his comlink off his belt.

A little startled by the anger that had quickly surfaced, Elena took in a slow breath to calm herself. So far the only other people she had sensed in the Retreat were the ones on the floor above her, and she could tell they were friends. Beginning to climb the main staircase with Milowi and three guards behind her, Elena felt her heart sinking as she continued to survey the damage. The elegance and luxury of the historical Rys'tihn Retreat had been ruined; there was no way it could be repaired and restored in time for her wedding in a few short days...

The hum of her lightsaber's blade was the only sound as the five ascended to the second level, and to Elena's dismay, the scene was the same: blaster markings, overturned tables, even discarded weapons. Her mind was racing with questions and scenarios, trying to make sense of what she saw. Was it a quick, decisive strike with overpowering numbers, or had there been an extended standoff? Surely Cade and Deilia, the Rys'tihn Ghost Heirs, would have been alerted to an impending attack, wouldn't they?

As she led the others towards the two people she sensed, a strange mark on the wall caught Elena's attention in a narrow point of the hallway. It wasn't typical blaster bolt damage, but more like a clean gash created by the sweeping slice of a...

"Elena?" came a familiar voice, her friend and fellow Jedi Knight Kihara Marelleck, from the other side of a sealed door a few feet away. Though a little surprised, Elena quickly stepped over to it, inspecting its blackened control panel, mangled by a direct blaster bolt.

"Kihara, can you open the door from the other side?" Elena asked as the others stepped up behind her.

"No, there's no panel for it," she answered quickly. Elena blinked. A room without an interior panel?

"Then stand back," Elena ordered, "I'll cut it open." After getting confirmation and hearing Kihara, Milowi, and the guards stepping away, Elena plunged her green saber blade into the door, easily carving a sizable entry. She powered down her saber and kicked the panel in, immediately climbing through. Her relief at finally finding a room untouched by blaster damage was quickly undermined; Kihara was hardly standing, supporting herself with both hands on a chair to her side, and just behind her, Cade Rys'tihn lay nearly unconscious, motionless on a couch, his body riddled with blaster burns. Struggling to find her breath, Elena rushed to Cade's side while Milowi and the guards tended to Kihara.

"What happened!" Elena asked with alarm, kneeling beside Cade. He had suffered at least two penetrating wounds to his chest, reducing his breathing to nearly nothing. Drawing on what limited ability she had, Elena gingerly placed her hands over one of his burns and began to concentrate, using the Force to mend him. She struggled to maintain her focus as Cade weakly moaned in pain.

"They attacked almost as soon as I landed here," Kihara said through gritted teeth as she lowered herself into the chair with Milowi's help. With a quick glance, Elena saw what was hurting her friend: she had sustained blaster bolts to her legs, and it seemed to be draining all her energy to subdue the pain. Pointing to Cade, Kihara continued. "He and a younger woman greeted me when I arrived, but we were quickly surrounded in the hangar by at least ten armed men."

"What did they look like? Were they wearing helmets, armor, uniforms?"

Elena only looked back at her friend after a long silence, and she finally realized that Kihara's gaze hadn't moved at all since they had entered the room...

"I don't know," Kihara finally said resignedly. "I haven't been able to see for a couple days."

Elena had known Kihara for several years, after they had met on Montar in a chance encounter while Elena, Rech, Mand, and their late friend Gith were detoured there during a break from their Academy studies. Though not formally trained as a Jedi, Kihara was easily able to pass the tests and became a Knight, going on to aid in the search for Mand and her rescue. It wasn't until her pregnancy with her daughter that Kihara could physically see; she had been blinded by a fire when she was younger, and since then, the Force had been her eyes. Her abilities had been so fine tuned, so well-honed by necessity, that even her skills with a lightsaber were evenly matched with duel masters she had gone up against.

Looking at her friend with a strange mix of confusion and pity, Elena sighed, wondering how a Jedi of Kihara's caliber had suddenly become so crippled. Granted, having to defend against ten simultaneous rounds of blaster bolts with a single lightsaber would have tested even the most powerful of Jedi Masters, and protecting two other people behind the blade would have made it that much more difficult. Even though the pain she had suffered in losing her lover, Jedi Master Aalon Noor, a few months ago hadn't done much to her fighting spirit outwardly, Elena couldn't help but conclude that it had to do with the loss of her sight.

As if she needed something else to feel responsible for.

A pained breath from Cade brought Elena's attention back to him. Her efforts had brought him around, and she met his weak gaze.

"They...were Huxnel," he breathed; Elena nodded, continuing to concentrate on his wound.

"Try not to talk," she soothed. "You've taken some pretty serious hits." In pain but undaunted, the older man continued.

"Where's Deilia?"

Elena felt her stomach sink, glancing back at Kihara. "You mean...you don't know? Either of you?"

"We got separated after they chased us up to the second level," Kihara answered. "A bolt disabled my lightsaber, and she took off to distract them. I was able to pull him into this room after he went down, but I was hurt, too, and when I got back to the door, I couldn't even pry it open."

Elena did her best to not look upset. Deilia, Koril's twin sister and the Rys'tihn Tyro Ghost Heir, was pregnant, too, only a week or two behind Elena. If the Huxnel had captured her, or even harmed her...

But how would they know who she was? Koril hadn't even known about her until she had showed up at the Rys'tihn Manor after he had been "killed" by his cousin. She was supposed to be nameless, unidentifiable. Would the Huxnel dispose of her, thinking her an expendable civilian? Or would they figure out her worth and use her as ransom? Judging by the concern in Cade's eyes, he was beginning to think the same, and Elena knew they needed to act quickly.

"Milowi, get a transport ready to--"

"Already waiting, m'lady," Milowi answered immediately. "Security teams will be dispersing about the Retreat momentarily." Though it did nothing to ease her anxiety, Elena sensed a flood of people pouring into the building as Milowi helped Kihara back to her feet. The sound of boots marching through the Retreat's stone halls echoed up into the room, and finally a dozen guards poured into the room, pulling a repulsorlift stretcher between them.

Despite having done little to ease Cade's pain or treat his injuries, Elena stood and stepped back, allowing the guards to take over and transport him. Her sudden movement, though, was protested with a sharp kick in the stomach, and she couldn't keep a gasp from escaping as she hunched her back and put a hand on belly reflexively.

Instantly, five guards nearby turned to her, but before they could say much, Elena held up a hand. She bit her lower lip to keep herself from snipping at them, but calmed after a moment, she leveled a pleading gaze at the five.

"Please, help the other two."

A few of them turned and assisted Milowi with Kihara, while others steered the repulsorlift stretcher with Cade out of the room. One guard, however, remained at her side, and as they all left, heading for the transport that awaited them, he introduced himself.

"Captain Leikam, m'lady. High Commander Rys'tihn requested that I remain with you."

With a hand on her back, Elena suppressed a sigh. "Of course he did," she muttered.

"M'lady?"

"Who's in charge of this security sweep here?" Before Captain Leikam could respond, a female officer stepped up to them, stopping the two as the others continued on to the transport.

"I am, m'lady. Major Anylya Tidesetter. We have three teams searching every room inch by inch, and--"

"That won't be necessary," Elena interrupted. "What I want to know is how ten Huxnel made it through the perimeter defenses and alarms. I know there are proximity alerts and sentry droids in place. Why were the Rys'tihn Ghost Heirs surprised by this attack? All underground passageways need to be checked, all codes need to be changed... I need to know that this breach will not happen again."

Though Elena's voice had intensified, Major Tidesetter simply nodded confidently. "We will find out, m'lady. You will be notified of our progress and any important findings immediately."

Elena nodded, too, dismissing the major. As much as she felt she wasn't much of a leader, it seemed to be strangely...comfortable. Though she didn't want to be, she was actually getting used to it. Even as a young girl, she had aspired to be a servant of the galaxy, accepting missions as a Jedi and taking orders from others, not giving them. But becoming a Rys'tihn, marrying into one of the six royal families on Paneau, meant people would be serving her whenever they could. That, she hoped, was something she would never get used to.

As Elena and Captain Leikam boarded the small transport that awaited them outside the serene Rys'tihn Retreat, Elena sighed and sat on a bench in the rear hold, watching over Cade on the stretcher. Though still conscious, the 43-year-old Rys'tihn held her gaze but said nothing. As the transport lifted up into the air, Elena reached out and gripped one of his hands, sharing her concern. They were both deeply worried about the same thing: whether their Tyro and the next Ghost Heir were still alive.


	6. Chapter 6

"You did _what_?"

Though Koril was no longer looking at Captain Leikam, the officer explained further, though more hesitantly.

"Sir, we had the Retreat surrounded within a matter of minutes, I assure you. Patrols in the area hadn't reported any abnormal activity, but we're extending our search as we spe--"

"You didn't try to contact me," Koril continued with a troubled expression, his gaze fixed on Elena. She stood beside the captain with her arms crossed, sporting an equally defiant look. As much as he had expected her to do something drastic, he still had faintly hoped she wouldn't. Unrelenting, Elena shot back.

"I didn't know I had to. I made a split-second decision, and I carried it out. We didn't have a lot of time, and obviously, Cade didn't either."

"And after what had just happened at the Manor, you..." he trailed off. Anxious, he ran a hand through his hair as he glanced in on the medics busily tending to his uncle inside a closed room. He had to look away almost immediately, momentarily seeing Elena in Cade's place...

"Did you even _think_ about how dangerous that was?"

"They came in through the Retreat's tunnels. I had to know how they got there, and if there were any more."

Though still upset, he tried to let his exasperation fade. There was nothing he could've done if she hadn't even informed him what she was planning. How could he tell her to be less impulsive without implying that she was more vulnerable, angering her further?

"I would've sent more guards with you," he finished softly. Elena's tense stance eased somewhat, her frustration at him subsiding.

"I had four with me, Koril. I didn't need an army, and I didn't want to leave the Manor any less protected than it already was."

Koril sighed, meeting Elena's intense emerald eyes as they continued to melt his anger. With a brief glance and nod, Koril dismissed Captain Leikam, turning back to the small room. Inside, it seemed as though Cade had been stabilized, as only one medic remained beside him. He had thick bandages wrapped around his entire torso, but at least he was breathing easier.

"They say he'll be fine," Elena said quietly as she stepped over to stand at Koril's side. "He'll need a lot of bacta treatments, but no lasting damage."

Koril nodded, still trying to erase from his mind the terrible images of her lying there instead. Her hand softly gripped his, and he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was just as quiet. "Me, too."

Lifting her hand into his opposite, he brought her closer and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek.

"Is it so wrong of me to want to protect you?"

"No," she answered with a slight sigh. "It's just a little...ironic, unnecessary, annoying..."

"I get it."

Elena looked up at him with a slight hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, but when she met his tired gaze, her expression neutralized. She looked down and leaned her head against him, speaking after a long silence.

"All my life, I've been under someone's protection. Even at the Jedi Academy, we were never allowed to face any real dangers. If it wasn't my parents, it was Veon and Tascit, or Rech and Mand, Noor and Lithess...there's always been someone sheltering me. But I've stared down a deranged Dark Jedi in a duel. I've held off Stormtroopers in the Dalon Palace halls. I've proven time and time again that I'm capable of handling myself...so it's very hard for me to back down, especially now. But...I will try."

Koril hugged her more tightly to himself, gently resting his chin atop her head. "Good, because as long as you're married to me, the entire Royal Navy and Guard will be at your heels." Though he couldn't see her face, he heard and felt her softly laugh. After having lived with him in the Rys'tihn Manor for the past few months, he was sure she already knew that. Regardless of his status as the Head of Security, Paneau's military forces would always protect the Royal Families, even if they weren't in power. Koril's time with the Royal Navy had further solidified the arrangement.

"I apologize for interrupting, Sir, M'lady," came a quiet voice from behind them. Koril released Elena as they both turned to face a young medic who had approached them.

"Miss Marelleck is requesting to see you." Confused, Koril furrowed his brows and looked at Elena.

"Kihara? What's she doing here?" Elena's expression became grim as they began to follow the medic through the quiet medical center.

"More importantly, why was she at the Retreat when the Huxnel attacked?"

Before Koril could say anything more, a loud crash echoed from the room they were about to enter, prompting a quick response from nearby nurses and medics. Though startled, Koril and Elena also sprinted into the room behind the staff.

"I slipped on something," Kihara admitted gruffly as she picked herself up off the floor. A metal tray and the food that had been on it had been flung against the wall, and a thin soup was still dripping from the ceiling. A few medics were already steadying Kihara by supporting her arms, but she quickly shook their grips.

"I'm _fine_," she seethed. "I don't need help." Elena stepped further into the room, dismissing some of the extra nurses.

"Kihara, just let them help you back to the bed," she encouraged gently. But Kihara refused.

"It's right here," she pointed out tersely, taking a few careful steps toward it. Koril noticed the bandages on her legs, and she limped slightly as she moved. She carefully lowered herself onto the bed but remained upright, tying her curly brown hair behind herself as she seemed to focus on the floor.

With a few silent nods, Elena dismissed the rest of the medics who had come to help. Passing by Koril before stepping up beside Kihara, she whispered to him carefully, confirming his suspicions. "She can't see."

"I _can_ still hear, though," Kihara said curtly. Elena winced slightly, but relaxed as Koril put a hand on her shoulder.

"You wanted to see us?" Elena began.

Kihara's expression lightened. "Yeah, how's...Cale?"

"Cade," Elena corrected cautiously. "He's going to be fine, thanks to you." After a brief pause, she continued. "What were you doing there, Kihara? What happened?"

At that, Kihara lowered her head. "Well, I know I'm a few days early, but I came for your wedding. Mand was going to come, too, but she stayed a little longer, waiting on word from Rech. She sent me ahead in her ship, anyway, coordinates and trip programmed in the nav computer so I just had to sit in the seat. When I landed, Cade and a woman...what was her name?"

"Deilia."

"Right, Deilia. Cade and Deilia met me in the hangar. They were confused at first, as was I, since I had no idea who they were, and they didn't know me. We hadn't talked for long when I sensed the ten or so approaching us. I could tell they weren't there to chat, but as soon as I drew and ignited my saber, they began firing. No warning, no demands, just...attacked. I could barely keep up with all the bolts, let alone protect all three of us. We retreated inside, but they followed.

"I couldn't deter them no matter what I did. I threw tables, chairs, anything I within my reach. After they had forced us up the stairs, Deilia took off to split them up, but they instead concentrated their fire on me. I couldn't stop it all, and Cade got hit behind me just as a bolt destroyed my saber. I don't know how I didn't get hit more critically, but I was able to drag him into that room before they got up to us. I thought I heard Deilia coming back, but someone just outside the door shot its control panel, locking us in, then silence. Everyone disappeared."

Elena looked at Koril, her expression as troubled as his.

"So there are several more unaccounted for, then," Koril grimly mused aloud. "Had they followed you in from the sky, or even from somewhere in the system?"

Kihara shook her head. "No, I thought about that, too. As much ground as they covered on foot and as quickly as they surrounded us in the hangar after I landed, they had to have already been there."

Koril struggled to wrap his mind around everything. So the Huxnel had Deilia, or at least had her Crest. That's how they had been able to get to the Manor; the tunnels that stretched between the Retreat and the Manor only opened with Rys'tihn Crests. But if they had already been there, intent on kidnapping one of the Ghost Heirs to then move on to him and Elena, why had they waited to strike until after Kihara had landed?

"We must've been the second stage of the attack," Elena concluded simultaneously, looking at Koril. "What would they want with us?"

Koril shook his head, confused. "All I could get out of Horatio was that they wanted you. They think you stole something from them the first time they were here."

Elena arched her eyebrows incredulously. "_I_ stole something from them? That's ridiculous. I was _fifteen_. I think I was a little more concerned with surviving to take my Knighthood tests than stealing from those lowlif--"

Stopping abruptly, a wave of realization passed over Elena's face, quickly being replaced by dismay.

"Kihara, what color was your lightsaber blade?" Elena asked tentatively.

"Green, I think. Why?"

Hardly moving as she thought for a few more moments, Elena finally continued breathlessly. "Because I _did_ take something from them."

"...what was it?"

Elena leveled a pained expression at Koril, shaking her head. "Not what...who."

Confused, Koril said nothing, and Elena went on.

"_Mand_. She was their agent, she worked for them back then. The only reason she switched sides was because of me, because of our friendship. I effectively _stole_ her from them." Returning an unfocused gaze to the floor, she brought a hand to her chin. "They must have known what her ship looked like and anticipated her arriving here for the wedding. Only after seeing Kihara's green blade and not Mand's orange one, they attacked, opting for plan B: getting to Mand through me."

Koril rubbed his forehead, not happy with how things were fitting together. "After all these years, they come after her now? Why?"

Elena shrugged sadly, her eyes full of worry.

"What do we do?" Kihara asked, breaking the brief silence. "She's leaving Coruscant tomorrow on public transport. Should we tell her not to come?"

After a few moments, Koril shook his head. "No. We play their game. They've obviously been able to make their way around Paneau unnoticed for who knows how long. I can assemble a few stealth teams to protect her once she arrives and escort her here safely."

Though Elena didn't look thrilled with the idea, she didn't disagree as he had expected her to. But Kihara sat up straighter and evened out her expression, cocking her head to the side and commanding their attention.

"I have a better idea."


	7. Chapter 7

High above the Dalon Main Spaceport in a secure, well-protected observation tower, Elena watched out its large windows, her gaze solidly fixed on a dull, nondescript transport that had just docked. Though a torrent of activity, the uninterrupted daily business of the spaceport, continued behind her, she hardly blinked. She stood with one arm across her chest, and her other hand was at her mouth, her fingers curled on her lips. Though anxious and nervous, she was motionless, even as Koril stepped up behind her and put a hand on her tense shoulder.

"I don't like this at all," she said quietly but intensely. Koril squeezed her shoulder.

"I know."

"We're feeding her to a pack of hungry vornskrs."

"They both agreed to it."

"I still don't like it."

Only a steady line of passengers left the dilapidated transport, as Paneau Royal Guards checked each traveler's ID. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a hooded figure emerged in the line, followed closely by an older woman carrying an infant. A host of armed guards descended on the three, surrounding them to guard them through the crowded spaceport. Elena held her breath, watching their progress intently. Only a little further and they'd be at the shuttle that would take them safely to the Manor...

The swirling crowd flowed at a swift pace, but just before the group reached the shuttle's dock, everyone came to a sudden stop. What was holding up the crowd? Elena scanned ahead, but it just looked like a simple jam, too many travelers trying to make their way down the same stretch of walkways at the same time. But something wasn't right...

Koril beat Elena to it. "What's going on down there?" he asked behind him. Focused, Elena maintained her gaze on the group, but she could sense the rising tensions of everyone within the tower; something else was happening.

"Lookouts just report high traffic in that sector," an officer responded, but there was an odd inflection in his voice, as if he knew something else, something more distressing. Beside Elena, Koril turned back to face him.

"Yes, Ensign?"

The Ensign's voice was quiet, but all other chatter and movement had stopped.

"Sir, sensors are showing...four large vessels approaching Paneau...look to be Star Destroyers, Sir."

Ice ran through Elena's veins. It was happening again--

"Incoming transmission, Sir."

Bracing herself, Elena turned from the window to face the large viewscreen at the central console. On it was a young, thin woman with long blond hair, her arms crossed over a simple green flight jacket. She sported a calm, confident gaze, settling her amber eyes immediately on Koril.

"Ground your fleets, and this doesn't have to get ugly."

Her voice was smooth and...almost relaxed, as if she made such demands on a daily basis. It sent a chill down Elena's back, and brought back memories she had tried to forget.

Tense, Koril broke his glare to nod silently at one of his commanders, authorizing the grounding of the Royal Navy squadrons. Returning to the viewscreen, he narrowed his eyes and took a few steps forward, standing in front of Elena, shielding her from the woman's view. Elena could still see around him for the most part, enough to see the woman's amusement at Koril's efforts.

"Who are you?" Koril demanded as some of his officers, too, stepped between him and Elena. Though they made it more difficult for her to see the screen, Elena withheld her frustration.

Even more amused, the woman hardly kept from laughing as she answered. "I would've thought that obvious." Her expression leveled somewhat, though, as she continued. "Surely we haven't changed that much in six years?" Faintly smiling again, she lifted her chin to look over Koril and his officers. "Have we, Elena?"

Koril wasted no time in redirecting the woman's attention. "What do you want?"

She returned her gaze to Koril, her eyes intensifying. "We're easy to please. We just want the same thing we came here six years ago for. But I think you'll be glad to know that we'll be...going about negotiation a different way this time." The woman grinned slyly, continuing after Koril's silence. "Your diversion was _very_ clever, by the way, and it might have worked! But...we decided to take them both. I hope you don't mind."

Elena's stomach sank as she whirled around to the window, looking out onto the spaceport, desperately searching for the shuttle. None of the transports were leaving or landing, and even the hordes of travelers on the walkways had come to a standstill, and not because of overcrowding...they were all being held hostage by dozens of armed, helmeted men. The Royal Guards were being marched away, weaponless, and the shuttle was gone.

Elena hardly breathed. How had this all gone so wrong? Though Elena had fervently opposed it, Kihara's plan had been to fool the Huxnel into taking her, not Mand. She had traveled to Malastare, meeting Mand's transport from Coruscant there. Once the two had discussed, they agreed to send Kihara on to Paneau aboard Mand's original transport, while Mand would instead arrive on a smaller, less conspicuous ship. After they both had landed, Mand had projected her image on Kihara and masked her own, hoping to draw the Huxnel out where the Royal Guard would be poised to counter their attack. But their sheer numbers...how had so many of them infiltrated the city already?

The woman's calm voice brought Elena back to the viewscreen. "All we ask for is your cooperation. No one leaves, no one lands. No outside help will be contacted, and no communications will leave this planet. For your compliance, your...women, Mr. Rys'tihn, will not be harmed. One of the three is in a very delicate state," she said coolly as she stepped aside. Behind her, Deilia Rys'tihn lay motionless on her side on a metal bench, her wrists bound in front of her swollen stomach.

Angered, Elena pushed her way through the officers to Koril's side, anxiously looking for any sign that Deilia was still alive. Before she could tell, though, the woman returned on the screen, feigning sympathy. "But she will be cared for, if you do as we say. I'll give you a few hours to...organize your thoughts." With a quick smile, the woman nodded just before the screen returned to its normal black. "Until then."

The silence that followed was deafening. The officers had turned to Koril for instruction, but he still stared at the blank screen, frozen. One commander dared to speak, his voice cautious.

"Orders, Sir?"

Koril blinked and lowered his gaze to the floor, but said nothing. Elena gripped his arm, trying to get him to respond, but he remained still until the commander spoke again.

"Sir?"

Finally looking up, Koril met his commander's gaze with a blank expression. His voice, though, equally devoid of emotion, was what worried Elena even more.

"We do as she says: we go dark."

As Koril's officers moved about to inform the rest of the planet's forces of the order, Elena watched him intently. In a daze, he turned and stepped back over to the window, looking out over the spaceport, his eyes unfocused. Only once had Elena ever seen him in such a state, in the aftermath of the Dalon Palace collapse when he had been given the news of his father's death in the Palace rubble. It had taken him weeks to recover, wrestling with Merli'il's deceit and his own status as the last remaining Rys'tihn.

In shock herself but trying to keep a level head, Elena followed Koril, standing at his side. He didn't seem to even acknowledge her presence, escalating her anxiety. Again, her touch on his arm got no response.

"Koril?"

Silence. He hardly even seemed to be breathing. She gripped his arm harder, tugging him gently.

"Koril..._what_ do they want?"

Though he still hadn't moved, he at least spoke, albeit quietly.

"Do you know what phrik and cortosis are?"

Elena blinked. "They're...compounds, alloys that resist blasters and lightsaber blades, why?"

Turning his head to her, Koril fixed his gaze on her, his eyes full of uncertainty and worry.

"Because at the bottom of Paneau's oceans...lies a compound that is even more indestructible: dantin."


	8. Chapter 8

"This 'dantin'... What is it?"

Koril sat opposite representatives of the Royal Council, called together for a meeting at the Dalon Council Hall. Two members from each Board, one Royal and one civilian, had come to discuss recent events. Nidana Pali, An InterRel Board member seated beside Sol Gedall, had posed the question to Koril after he had first informed them what had happened. Koril sighed, glancing at Elena sitting at his side. She was cradling the quiet, five-month-old Cordira Natiyr, but her expression was grim.

"Many of the marine species that inhabit Paneau's oceans protect themselves by secreting a durable shell that covers them. When the organism dies, its shell falls to the ocean floor. After a few millennia of piling up, the layers compress each other, changing the shells' physical properties into something much stronger. If the deepest layers were to be mined, the ore crushed and somehow applied to clothing, armor, and protective gear...it would all be nearly impervious to blaster bolts and lightsaber blades, lightweight and mostly undetectable."

Across the table, Jethro Trislena spoke up. "How long have you known about this stuff? Why haven't we heard about it before?"

"It was discovered about a century ago, maybe longer. Only the monarchs were to know about it and its potential, and part of their oath when they took the Crown was to keep it secret and protect Paneau."

"So how do you know all this?" Vianne Banarecc asked casually, but several pairs of eyes turned to him with more than simple curiosity, but accusatory stares.

Before Koril could answer, though, the young King Verojec quickly rebutted. "It is at _my_ discretion to whom I choose to disclose this information. I felt it necessary that as the Head of Security Koril should know, considering our recent run-in with the Huxnel a few months back." The thirteen-year-old king met each gaze with a strong, confident one of his own, defeating their suspicion. When he met Koril's, Koril nodded his thanks.

"How did the Huxnel find out?" came a tentative voice from across the way.

Koril did his best to keep from wincing. "We don't know. They approached us seven years ago, offering to buy the rights to mine the ocean floors. We immediately refused and they left, only to return a year later dressed as Imperials." He paused, withholding a sigh. "The Imperial Invasion was their attempt at forcing a deal on us. They tried to control the king directly by capturing him. Thankfully," he continued, glancing at Elena, "they were unsuccessful. But this time, they've taken a different approach, trying to force the same deal another way."

Koril briefly glanced at the king, who nodded for him to proceed.

"They've taken three prisoners - two Jedi and a...close family friend."

The ten board members reacted little, as if confused. They didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation, and there was no way they could without compromising the Royal Families' secret.

"Who are the Jedi?" Kellan Ordeel finally asked, breaking a tense silence.

"Kihara Marelleck and Mand Natiyr," Elena answered as she gently rocked the infant in her arms. "We knew they were after Mand, and in trying to throw them off, they...took them both." Though her expression faltered little, Koril heard the disappointment in her voice. He hadn't allowed her to protect either of them, and he knew it was weighing heavily on her.

"...can they escape?"

Again, all gazes turned to them, but Elena met them all with determined eyes. "Both Mand and Kihara are some of the most resourceful, innovative people I know. And if there's anyone who would know the inner workings of the Huxnel, it'd be Mand. But..." her expression fell slightly as she continued, pensively gazing at Cordira briefly. "They're probably being subdued by a ysalamir. It's a small, lizard-like creature that repels the Force. Within its range, Jedi are powerless."

"But not rendered incompetent," Sol Gedall countered hopefully. "Like you said, they're smart. They probably won't even need a rescue."

Koril saw Elena's eyes brighten momentarily, but just as quickly, they were dimmed.

"What of the other?"

Koril and Elena exchanged cautious glances before he answered. "She's...in a very delicate state. The Jedi can handle themselves, but she..." he trailed off, regrouping his thoughts. "We very much want her back alive and well."

"Who is she?" Sein Sotr, a Law Board representative, asked innocently. Koril sighed lightly, glancing significantly at the Royals present.

"I'm afraid I can't say."

Instantly, the Royals' expressions fell as they all realized what he meant. The others, though, looked back and forth between each other, confused. Vianne Banarecc seemed the most upset, her eyes full of fear.

"How?" she asked breathlessly. Koril released a controlled breath.

"Can't say."

Though the Royals all still looked alarmed, Ensme Moslen of the Governor Board spoke up for the first time, her voice small.

"What are we going to do? Give them what they want?"

"No," Koril immediately countered. "No one is mining this stuff, not now, not ever."

"Can't we mine it and then sell it to our allies? I'm sure the New Republic would love to get their hands on it."

Elena arched her eyebrows. "Do you all not know what happened to the Remnant's phrik mines in the Gromas System?" Getting defeated looks from the others, she sighed and looked back down at Cordira. "We _can't_ mine it."

"Then what is the plan?"

Despite having his gaze locked on the table in front of him, Koril felt the stares of everyone present on him. He hesitated, preparing himself for the reactions he was going to get. Even Elena didn't know what had been decided...

Drawing in a careful breath, Koril raised his eyes to meet the others' and spoke as confidently as he could.

"Immediately after this meeting...I will be traveling to their flagship to negotiate in person."

The Council erupted in protest. Beside him, Elena argued heatedly, though briefly, forced to leave hastily as Cordira began screaming, scared by the sudden cacophony. But shaking his head, Koril raised his hand to quiet them.

"The decision has already been made. If we delay any longer, they're going to get suspicious."

The protests continued, and it was the king's calm voice that quieted them again. "We made this decision together. We both know how dangerous the situation will be...but we see no other option at this time."

"How is this even an option?" Sol Gedall continued incredulously. "The Head of Security? Of the Rys'tihn Royal Family? This is a joke, right?"

Koril leveled a serious expression at him. "My shuttle's just outside, Sol."

Unable to change his mind, the Council backed down, quieted. Koril allowed the silence to hang for a few more moments, enabling anyone to continue. When no one spoke up, he sighed and glanced around the table.

"You'll be updated as soon as we're able to get word out. If there's nothing else..."

Several members of the Council stood and walked past Koril, some silently giving him soft pats of encouragement on his shoulder, others hardly masking their fear for him as they left. Even King Verojec stepped over to him with his guards in tow and his brows furrowed in concern.

"You're sure about this?" the young king asked carefully. Koril didn't hesitate to nod, forcing a deeper frown on Jec's face. Still, the king nodded, too, and offered his hand. "We need you here...but I trust your judgment." Koril shook Jec's hand as he stood, and without another word, the Scepter Guard led the king away, meeting another group of guards before leaving the Hall.

Rubbing his forehead, Koril closed his eyes and released a long, shaky breath. The Council had been hard enough to convince...how in the universe was he going to convince Elena?

As soon as he stepped into the small room off the main hall she had retreated into with Cordira, Elena met him, her expression frantic and worried.

"This is insane! You cannot do this!"

Koril stepped inside, glancing over at the now pacified infant girl sleeping serenely on a fluffy blanket on the floor. His gaze lingered on Cordira briefly before returning to Elena. "I _have_ to get Deilia back."

"I know," Elena said, briefly sympathetic, "but this is _not_ the way! If they find out how important she is, how valuable she is, they will not hesitate to use her against you! They did the same thing to Veon last time." Nearly shaking with anxiety, Elena turned and stepped away from him, crossing her arms above her stomach. He could hear her trembling with every breath, and even though she tried to control it, her voice was quivering.

"They captured both Tascit and me in the Palace. After they found out she was pregnant, they nearly froze her to death in her cell, forcing Veon to fold to keep her alive. If it hadn't been for the New Republic's timely help and Mand's sabotage...this would be a very different planet right now."

Before he could respond, Elena whirled back to face him, her eyes pleading. "They will _extort_ you. They will use her to coerce this deal out of you."

Koril gently grasped Elena's shoulders, holding her gaze intently. "Which is exactly why I need to negotiate this, to get her away from them."

Elena looked unconvinced. "They're not going to just hand her over to you because you asked nicely! They're going to want a replacement, someone worth more th--"

She stopped abruptly. As realization took over her expression, it was quickly replaced by fear, and she hardly breathed.

"No..."

Koril's voice was barely any louder than hers. "I'm much more valuable, especially with my position. They can do whatever they want to me without consequence." But Elena only continued to shake her head, her entire body shaking.

"_No._"

The pain in her eyes crushed him, but it was her swift transition to defiant anger that hurt him more. Again, she stepped back out of his grip, refusing to allow tears to fall from her fearful eyes. Koril swallowed, but found his throat dry and had to force his voice to work.

"You'll be safe at the Manor. If anything happens to me..."

"Don't."

"...you will inherit everything. And the Gedalls will make sure that you're taken care of, you and the baby."

"Stop."

Elena closed her eyes, bitterly shedding the tears she had held back. Though he was beginning to notice his own hands shaking, he stepped closer to her and gently cupped her face, bringing her chin up slightly.

"Look at me," he pleaded breathlessly. When she opened her sad eyes and met his, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly, then lightly placed his forehead against hers. He moved one hand to the base of her neck, and with the other, he carefully grasped one of hers and held it against his chest. He could hardly hear his own whisper.

"I love you."

Drawing in and releasing a shaky breath, Elena leaned against him, wrapping her free arm tightly around his waist. He kissed the top of her head, allowing the moment to last as long as possible. After the long silence, Elena whispered the same thing he had once said to her, moments before proposing to her.

"Promise me...you'll come back to me."

Though he, too, feared what he was about to face, he did his best to sound confident for her.

"I'll try."


	9. Chapter 9

Situated in the center of Paneau's system was a single yellow star, glowing brightly as it sent off numerous solar flares to its closest neighbors. The twin solid, lifeless spheres that orbited tightly about the star accepted the daily bombardment as they had for millions of years, making their rounds in perfect, unaffected circles. Occasionally asteroids found their way into the system, casually showering the numerous planets and moons every few hundred years. Only rarely was the repetition interrupted by comets soaring past, as most were swallowed up by the stronger, larger system a few parsecs away before reaching any further. Despite the random anomalies, the entire sector was quiet and looked peaceful from a passing distance. But one lone object was silently floating through space, small and sparkling as it unevenly reflected the star's light and slowly crept toward the planet of Paneau.

The shimmering, starry backdrop of the galaxy behind it formed a strange silhouette that resembled a small personal ship, shrouded in darkness as it passed through Salastryn's shadow. No lights blinked on its outer hull, and no panels glowed from inside the cockpit. Its engines were completely silent, and were it not for its only passenger, hooded and motionlessly seated at the controls, the ship would have seemed abandoned, a casualty of some long forgotten battle that had taken place years ago.

Even though no power was being coaxed out of the battered, old engines, the ship was gliding effortlessly through space, as though being guided by some unseen force. Silent and putting out no heat signature, the ship continued on entirely unnoticed by the surrounding system. Even its intended destination, the lead Star Destroyer of the four that orbited high above Paneau, made no adjustments, nor did it send intercept craft to stop it.

Though the ship slowed slightly, it still coasted gracefully as it approached the large ships from behind and finally came to a soft, patient stop. Nestled just under the Star Destroyer's idle engines, barely hidden from the main hangar that opened in the middle of the capital ship's underside, the tiny craft released an even smaller square container from a rear compartment. The container, too, coasted away on its own, seemingly well-guided as it approached the hangar bay and easily floated up into it, slipping through the magnetic shield protecting it -- again, unnoticed.

Hovering for a brief moment, the container activated and began to spin on its points, humming quietly as it reached its maximum speed. In a sudden burst of light, the container vaporized and released a volley of untamed bolts of energy that struck the hangar's lighting power grid. Instantly, the hangar went dark, only dimly illuminated by backup glowpanels along its pallid walls. A taut silence hung in the stagnant air, punctured intermittently by the hiss and crackle of damaged electrical circuits.

As easily as it had stopped, the small ship waiting outside resumed a slow crawl, pitching itself up and into the shadowy hangar. After navigating around the hanging fighters and walkways, it found an adequate landing surface and gently touched down with a penetrating but subtle _boom_.

Still under the cover of darkness, the small fighter's canopy lifted off the fuselage with a soft hiss, and its pilot climbed out, stealthily hiding behind the craft. The silent, hooded figure crouched perfectly motionless for several seconds, seemingly waiting and listening for any alarms or incoming security patrols. When nothing immediately changed, the figure swiftly stepped across the walkway, maintaining a low, hunched stride.

The lights in the hangar buzzed and flickered suddenly as they powered back on, but the hooded stranger had already stolen into a small alcove adjacent to the main hold. In it were several large roughened cargo containers that provided adequate cover from the frenzy that engulfed the hangar. A dozen armed men swarmed the walkways suspended from the ceiling, loudly and angrily shouting orders at each other. Though they searched every hanging fighter, they paid no additional attention to the spare ship sitting on a landing pad, for it appeared to belong, looking strikingly similar to its neighbors. By the time they inspected the container room attached to the hangar, the intruder they sought had long since disappeared.

* * *

Curled up on her side on the floor of a dark, frigid room, Deilia Rys'tihn had little hope left to grasp. Her muscles had ceased to shiver, and she hadn't been able to register any sensations for hours. The subtle vibration of the ship, the hard, unforgiving durasteel floor, her durable clothes that had at one time felt soft against her skin...her sense of touch had vanished. Her entire body was numb, and she was quickly sinking into despair.

Her captors hadn't messed with her for quite some time, though they had left piles of stale food and a glass of rancid water by the door. If she had any energy left after shivering for so long, she might have tried to eat something. But all she could think of was staying in a tight ball, trying to preserve what heat she could in her torso to keep her baby alive as long as possible.

Leave it to her to screw up her twin brother's wedding, she thought bitterly to herself. The preparation for the event over the last couple of weeks had been mostly problem-free, and that should've been her first clue. Her covert agents around the system had gotten word of an impending offensive by the Huxnel, but she had no idea they had bulked up their armament. Expecting a small force similar to the one they had repelled a few months ago, Deilia and Cade altered their plans little. They thought that only a few more agents were needed to subdue the greedy pirates, but along with everyone else on Paneau, they were extremely surprised by the _four_ Star Destroyers that showed up in orbit over Paneau. She doubted that even the Remnant knew they were coming close to being outmatched with their own capital ships operated by non-Imperials.

Though a dried trickle of blood itched on her forehead, she couldn't move to rub it. She had tried to evade capture when the Huxnel thugs attacked her, Cade, and Kihara Marelleck at the Manor the day before, but they easily overpowered the three. Her head still throbbed where she had been struck with a blaster handle, keeping her unconscious until she awoke in her freezing cell. Had they captured Cade and Kihara, too?

Before the Huxnel had taken Deilia away, she had sealed the two in a room that was only to open with a Rys'tihn Crest. By blasting the outer control panel, she thought she was disabling the door completely, preventing anyone from overriding the security. Short of blowing it open with explosives, both Kihara and Cade should've been unreachable to the thugs. But had she been successful?

Interrupting her thoughts, she believed she heard a familiar voice passing by her door, but her mind was getting cloudy, succumbing to the cold. The longer she listened, the more unrecognizable the words became. The voice was gruff, almost angry as it continued, joined by several others that were muffled by the walls.

Maybe the voice was familiar because it belonged to one of her captors who had harassed her during her stay there. Other than the bump on her head, they hadn't hurt her physically, but they hadn't yet passed up an opportunity to humiliate her. It was bad enough that a Ghost Heir had been caught off guard, but it was especially so for her, having been captured while pregnant with the next generation's heir. Though she didn't think they knew what her function was in Paneau's Royal Families' hierarchy, they did know that she had been a resourceful target, escaping capture as long as she had.

As the talking outside her door continued, it sounded as though they were preparing to bully her more. But the voices all stopped suddenly, and only an eerie silence replaced their chatter. It had been too quick a change for them to have walked away, so what had cut them off? Was she losing the rest of her senses, too?

As the door to her room swept open quietly, she knew she had to be hallucinating. A robed stranger stood briefly in the doorway, but with brisk, fluid movements closed the door after stepping inside. Deilia shut her eyes, drawing herself more tightly together as her visitor approached her with soft, delicate steps.

Afraid to open her eyes, she waited. Surely it hadn't been real; she was becoming less and less lucid as the minutes wore on. If one of the Huxnel had actually come inside, they wouldn't have been so quiet about it. Also, the stranger hadn't quiet looked like Huxnel...

"Hi," a man's soothing voice greeted her. Even though it had just been one word, the gentleness and sincerity with which he had said it was enough to ease her tensions, if only slightly. Though it had to be her numb mind creating such a peaceful illusion, she desperately wanted to believe it true. Someone who cared for her had arrived to save her.

"I don't know who you are," the man continued softly, "but I know I'm supposed to help you."

Confused, Deilia opened her eyes cautiously, lifting her head slightly to look at the hooded man knelt motionlessly beside her. His face was still shrouded, hidden in the shadow of his hood, but...she knew his voice. His mere presence at her side comforted her, but she was quickly losing strength to stay awake. Returning her head to the floor, she watched him listlessly.

"We need to get you warmed up," he said gently, lightly placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to put you into a simple meditative state. It will help you recover your energy while I warm your body temperature slowly. This way, the change will be gradual, and it will not harm your child."

Already, Deilia felt warm sensations radiating from his hand, and getting energy back, her muscles began to shiver again. She curled herself up tighter to lessen the shaking, and as the man continued just as kindly as before, she listened intently, focused on identifying his voice.

"While in the trance, you will not be able to see, move, or talk. You will, however, be able to hear. If I harm you in any way, even though you won't be able to tell me, I can still sense your feelings. I'll know and correct it immediately. I'm going to carry you out of here quickly, but safely. No one will notice you're gone until it's too late."

The stranger inclined his shadowed face to her, quieting his voice even more.

"Do you trust me?"

Though Deilia had yet to determine how she knew him, she quickly nodded as best she could, eager to leave even though it was dangerous. Within seconds, she felt a calmness fill her consciousness as she lost all senses but her hearing. It was a weird feeling, but it was also strangely peaceful, as though the numbness from the cold had been painful and with it gone, her mind was tranquil. She could still feel the sensation of pressure, though, as her rescuer moved her, gathering her up into his arms. His steps hardly made a sound, and as far as she could tell, they were moving swiftly.

Even though she heard faint whispers of conversation all around as they made their escape, none of them seemed to be reacting to seeing someone carrying away a prisoner. Her mysterious savior was a Jedi, she knew that much, and he had gotten to her unnoticed before. He seemed to be easily slipping through the ship's corridors with her, but surely he wasn't allied with the Huxnel, was he? He was so familiar...

"Almost there," he whispered to her. She felt his pace slow, and a short distance away, she heard a group of men angrily arguing amongst themselves. Gradually their voices dissipated and eventually became faint echoes, as did her rescuer's footsteps. She heard a soft, crackling buzz that sounded almost electrical, but it was distorted, too, as if morphed by a large, cavernous space.

Without warning, she felt herself being lifted up and gently lowered into some kind of seat, and the stranger's arms held her no more. Restraints were tugged and snapped securely into place over her shoulders, but she was still paralyzed by the trance. She heard a few clicks just in front of her, then everything was silenced as she heard metal slide over metal and snap. She was sealed inside something...a ship?

_"This is as far as I go with you,"_ her rescuer's voice sounded in her head. _"You're secured inside a small starfighter, and I'll guide it out of this hangar and away from the Destroyers. Once you're out of range of their sensors, your ship will automatically power up and take you to a medical frigate on the outer edge of the system. A Jedi Master and his padawan will be aboard, and they'll be able to bring you out of the trance."_

Deilia tried to answer the voice, ask him a dozen questions of her own, but she felt the craft beneath her rocking gently as it seemed he had already begun to send her away. With his last words to her, she _finally_ realized who he was, and even though her eyes were closed, she felt them filling with tears.

_"You and your child are safe now,"_ he finished kindly, and as she slipped through space in the small ship, his voice in her head was silenced, though the peacefulness of his presence remained.


	10. Chapter 10

The instant Koril's shuttle landed in the lead Destroyer's hangar and lowered its ramp, several armed Huxnel swarmed the cabin and pulled him out of his seat, binding his hands behind him. They gripped him roughly without saying a word, leading him away quickly. Koril furtively glanced at his captors, half expecting to see Horatio Sheridan among them. He didn't recognize any of them, though, from either of his previous encounters he'd had with them. How expansive was this group of pirates? If they had enough to fully crew four Star Destroyers, they had to number in the thousands at least.

Business must be good, Koril thought darkly. As they led him through the large ship, they passed by a handful of crew quarters corridors that had been modified into shielded cells. As far as he could tell, each cell had at least one occupant. He didn't see any Paneau, so who were all these captives?

Finally coming up on the main bridge, the Huxnel guards gripping his arms forcefully shoved him forward, meeting even more guards. He stumbled slightly but they righted him, pulling him along further. They brought him to the bridge's main viewport where the woman he had spoken with earlier stood with her back to him. The guards kept tight grips on his arms as the woman addressed him without looking back.

"You certainly are brave," she began with a light sigh. Turning her head to glance at him, she smiled mockingly. "Didn't your girl tell you what we do with our prisoners?"

Though difficult, Koril withheld his anger, instead focusing on what he had handed himself over for. "I came to negotiate the release of one of my friends."

The woman turned to fully face him, her expression falling. "Negotiate? And why would I do that? You're already our captive. Why should I bargain with you?"

"As a sign of good faith. Release one of them, and I can tell you the most profitable locations to mine, saving you from having to find them yourself."

Seemingly amused, the woman's smile returned as she gazed at him calculatingly. "Again, why would I do that, when I can torture it out of you right now?"

Koril narrowed his eyes. "You can do whatever you want to me, but you'll only get information out of me if you cooperate."

The woman laughed lightly. "If _I_ cooperate? Hm." With sweeping steps, she walked over to a control console, lightly tracing her fingers across its smooth surface as if in thought. After a few moments, she turned back to him, leveling another cold smile at him.

"And who am I to release to you?"

Koril held the woman's gaze intensely for a long silence, readying himself.

"Kihara, the blind Jedi."

Though the woman's eyes narrowed, her smile remained. "Hm," she said lightly with a laugh. She began to turn away, but stopped suddenly, cocking her head slightly as she looked back at him. "No," she said thoughtfully, "you don't want _her_."

Koril maintained his defiant glare as she continued. Her smile faded, though, her expression becoming more serious as she turned back to him.

"You knew better than to ask for Mand, though I know you're good friends. She knows too much about us; there's no way we'd give her up. But...you also had to know that we wouldn't release the other Jedi to you, either. She may be blind, but she is _far_ from helpless." She bit her lower lip, eying him shrewdly. "No... You asked for her, expecting me to refuse and offer the third woman instead. She's the one you really want."

Koril felt his stomach turning to ice, but their gazes remained locked as he sustained his hard glare. The woman smiled again, looking over his face.

"I see it now," she said curiously. "You two look far too much alike to be distant relatives. You must be closer. Siblings, maybe? But I thought you were the last Rys'tihn. Have you been lying to your faithful people all this time?"

Koril took a step forward but the guards at his side tugged him back, tightening their grips, cutting off the circulation to his arms, but he didn't care. He glared at her, his voice intense and dark as he emphasized every word.

"_Let her go._"

The woman's expression became grim as she shook her head slowly. "You're ours now." She turned her head slightly and nodded to one of her guards behind Koril, and they began to lead him away. Furious, Koril angrily struggled against his captors, shouting back to the woman.

"You'll get _nothing_ out of me until she's safe!!"

Before Koril could react, one of the guards beside him forcefully elbowed him in the stomach, doubling him over in pain and knocking his breath out of him. He coughed and gasped, trying to recover as they continued to drag him away, but they were stopped by the woman's abrupt order.

"_Wait_."

The guards turned Koril back to face her, grabbing his hair to make him look up. He was still breathing heavily, but he tried to control it to hear what the woman was saying to a Huxnel officer who was standing beside her.

"Search the hangar, and destroy his shuttle. I want her found, _now_."

The officer nodded and left quickly, leaving the woman nearly shaking in her fury. She stepped up to Koril, in his face as she spoke quietly but irately.

"_No one_ escapes my ship. She _will_ be found, and you'll be the last Rys'tihn, if you even survive us in the first place."

Confused, Koril swallowed. "What are you talking about?"

The woman's face intensified, incensed at his response. "Your sister somehow managed to escape. But not for long." Again, she glanced behind him at one of the guards and nodded curtly, returning her intense gaze to Koril.

"Take him to the Chamber."

* * *

As he approached the Chamber's heavy, air lock-style doors, Horatio's heart was pounding in his ears. He was fairly certain this wasn't going to work, but he had to try. He wasn't going to have any other chance.

With his security code, the large door swept open, its gears grinding noisily. After glancing down the hallway both directions to ensure he hadn't been followed, he stepped inside quickly, knowing he didn't have much time. As the door sealed behind him, he began his work.

In the middle of the room, shackled to a tortuous metal chair was a drugged Mand Natiyr, the last person he wanted to see. Though her wrists were secured to the chair's arms, she was slumped over and motionless, save for her shallow breathing. Having heard him step over to her, though, Mand slowly raised her head and looked up at him, her eyes barely half open. He was already drawing up the clear liquid from a bottle he had pulled out of his jacket pocket into a hypodermic injector when she recognized him and began to speak weakly.

"Jespir," she said with a mockingly surprised edge. "I thought you'd have been promoted by now."

"Shut up," he countered instantly, stuffing the vial back into his pocket. Pulling her arm straight under the restraints, he jabbed the injector just under her skin, emptying its contents into her bloodstream. She belatedly tried to tug her arm away, but still weak from her sedation earlier, she moved little. He put the injector away, too, stepping closer to her so he could speak quickly and quietly.

"You're being transferred to another cell. I was supposed to give you more sedative, but I gave you a stimulant to reverse its effects. The stimulant should take effect soon, but you'll have to act like I put you under again if you want to escape while you're being moved. The ysalimir has been poisoned, so it'll be dead soon and you'll be able to use your powers again. You remember how to get to the hangar bay from here?"

As the stimulant freed Mand from the sedative they had given her earlier, she sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing in distrust. Instead of answering his question, she posed one of her own. "Why are you helping me?"

Horatio gave her an annoyed look. "Because I'm a nice guy," he answered with a sarcastic bite. He asked again, more insistently. "Do you remember?"

Again, she didn't answer. "What of the other two?"

"Kihara will meet you in the hangar. The other's already made it off the ship. If you can't get there by yourself--"

"I'll make it."

Horatio nodded after a moment, glancing back at the door nervously. He didn't have much time left. Returning to her, he stepped back, preparing to leave. "You _have_ to make them believe you've been drugged again, otherwise this won't work. You're a good actress, if I remember correctly."

Mand leveled a piercing glare at him. "And you're a terrible one. You always were."

He gave her a cynical smile. "Thanks. I'll remember that the next time I have to save you and your friends."

Without allowing her the chance to retort, Horatio quickly turned and left, again checking the hallway before closing the door behind him. Though nervous about what he had just done, it was his next mission that was probably going to get him killed. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, he glanced down the corridors again before making his way to the _Vandal'_s main comm room.


	11. Chapter 11

While being restrained to a cold, hard chair, Koril felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness, but he was desperately trying to hang on. He heard and felt metal clamps snapping into place over his wrists, as well as his ankles, anchoring him in place.

Despite being bound to the chair, he couldn't have gone anywhere anyway. Before his captors had left the bridge following his meeting with their female leader, they had injected him with some kind of sedative that had quickly subdued him. The two guards had to drag him the rest of the way, as his limbs no longer worked, and judging by how long it had taken them to bring him down to the Chamber, the solitary cell was situated well within the center of the Destroyer. He no longer knew where he was, but even if he did, he couldn't escape while under sedation.

After securing him to the chair, his escort left him alone, making it impossible for him to discern the passage of time. He could have blacked out for minutes, hours, or not at all, and he wouldn't have known the difference. He heard little if any sound in the small, dimly lit room, and weakly looking about, he saw nothing but dark gray durasteel walls and floors. Had Elena or Tascit been brought here before? As his body began to shiver in the coldness of the dark room, he figured one could easily freeze to death if left in it long enough.

The room's large door whined open behind him, and he heard two pairs of footsteps approaching. With an effort, he lifted his head up and let it fall to one shoulder, still able to see in front of him. A short green Twi'lek man approached him, followed closely by the Huxnel leader. The woman's rage was still evident in her eyes, but she spoke with control, almost calm, to the other.

"This one deserves something...severe."

The other nodded obediently. "Yes, Admiral." From a bag he carried at his side, the Twi'lek pulled out a few vials and a hypodermic injector, but the Admiral stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No," she said with her eyes narrowed at Koril, "give him the new strain."

The Twi'lek looked at her with obvious surprise. "But, Admiral Azira," he stammered, "it hasn't been tested on human subjects yet, it may not be ready to--"

"_Do it_, Kopa."

Though visibly bothered, Kopa nodded after a moment and replaced the first vials he had grabbed with one containing a black liquid. He drew up a small amount into the injector while Azira hovered behind him and watched intently. His hands shaking, he inserted the needle into Koril's arm, slowly pushing in the liquid.

Immediately, Koril closed his eyes as he felt the frigid liquid spreading throughout. It chilled every vessel, every muscle, sending his body into sudden spasms. His arms pulled violently against the wrist restraints, cutting deeply into his skin. The spasms only intensified, though, as the terrible moments wore on, locking his muscles in constant tension.

The pain was unbearably excruciating. He felt every square inch, inside and out, searing and burning as he had never before experienced. Even the Force Lightning assault he had survived a few months ago hadn't reached as deeply and as penetratingly. Every nerve fiber seemed to be firing, registering extreme agony everywhere. Though suffering intensely, he couldn't hear any sound; wasn't he screaming? Was he paralyzed, or worse, dying?

Without warning his muscles released, and he slumped down in the chair, his eyes opening immediately. He could see Azira watching him closely, but his eyes wouldn't move; none of his limbs responded to his commands, either. He _was_ paralyzed, immobilized by whatever they had given him. He breathed shallowly, but nothing else moved. Seemingly pleased with his reaction, Azira stepped back from him and left, giving an order as she went.

"He's your test. Keep me informed."

* * *

As her Huxnel guards drug her down the corridors, Mand could feel her Force senses returning to her slowly. Reconnected, she drew on the Force to increase her energy as she prepared to make her escape. Only two more hallways to pass, and they'd be out of earshot of the nearest guard post...

Though it had been at least six years since she had last been aboard the _Vandal_, the Huxnel's heavily modified Star Destroyer flagship, she knew exactly where she was. She never thought she'd have ended up inside the Chamber, but she had been lucky. She hadn't been there long before Jespir Carrx had visited her, and her short stay allowed her to escape the Chamber's main use - agonizing torture.

For some reason Jespir was helping her, and it perplexed her. They had been through a few missions together when she was barely even twelve, working for the Huxnel as part of her service under her former Dark Master, Cyrix. Jespir had been her partner in numerous assassinations and cargo raids, but he had protected her like an older brother when a detonator had been set for them at an art collector's home. Years later, though, he had protected her once again, giving her the chance to escape, and her opportunity was quickly approaching.

The guards turned down the last hallway, and still hanging limply between them, Mand began to build up her Force Shockwave. Only a few more steps...

With all the power she could muster, she unleashed her shockwave, blasting the two guards against the walls on either side of her. They hit the floor just as hard, knocked unconscious nearly instantly. Recovering rapidly from the exertion, Mand picked herself up off the floor quickly, hastily making her way down the corridor to the next, taking a series of turns that would put her on a straighter path to the hangar.

But she wasn't alone. A pair of Huxnel were walking the opposite direction, facing away from her in the central hall. Determined, Mand silenced her footsteps as she sprinted up behind them, reaching out with the Force. She extended her invisible hands to grip them around their waists and powerfully yanked them backwards, slipping underneath them as they flew through the air. They flipped and landed on their faces, and before they could recover, she had already darted down an adjacent hallway, out of their sight.

Unfortunately, an even larger group met her around the corner. Startled, though, they fumbled for their blasters while backpedaling. As they raised their aim at her, she effortlessly pulled the weapons from their hands and let them slide down the hall beyond her, and seeing a large open cargo container on its side behind the seven, she furrowed her brows in concentration. With one powerful Force Push, she shoved them all into the container and rocked it back onto its base, corralling them for the moment.

Deciding that she had drawn too much attention, she backtracked, taking a different, less direct route to the hangar. Turning down one hallway, she noticed someone with his back to her up ahead, and as she prepared to dispose of him as well, she stopped, noticing his stagger. Barely able to walk, he reached a hand out to the wall to steady himself, but gripping his chest with his other hand, he collapsed onto his back. On his way to the floor, Mand caught a glimpse of his face and immediately sprinted over to him, kneeling at his side.

"Jespir! What happened?"

Looking him over, he had one blaster wound on his upper chest and he was struggling to breathe. He looked up at her with surprise but quickly corrected it as he answered sarcastically in between labored gasps.

"I think...I got shot..."

Mand gave him an irritated look. "For mouthing off to somebody?" She gently pressed a hand over the wound, beginning to concentrate to heal it. Jespir grimaced, but his attitude changed little.

"Yeah...to the New Republic."

Stunned, Mand looked at him curiously. He nodded weakly, suddenly serious.

"They're on their way."

In her shock, she blinked, watching his face. "You're insane."

He grinned, laughing shortly. "Yeah, that's what the guy who caught me thought. Now he's not thinking much of anything--ow..."

"It's really not that bad," Mand tried to assure him as she resumed healing his wound. Jespir didn't looked convinced.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a _whole_ lot better."

"It's almost just a glancing burn. It hardly even got into your lungs."

Arching his eyebrows, he challenged her. "Have you ever been shot in the chest before?"

Mand rolled her eyes. "No, but I was mauled by a vornskr once. Does that count?"

"Are we really going to compete over this?"

"If it keeps you talking and controlling your breathing."

At that, Jespir was quieted momentarily, locking gazes with her as she continued to heal him. His expression became grim as his breathing eased, and after glancing down the hallway, he looked back at her and spoke quietly.

"You need to get out of here, Kil, and get down to the hangar."

Surprised to hear her old alias, Killian, she flinched but recovered quickly. "Almost finished," she protested, but Jespir shook his head.

"_Now_, Kil. There's not much time. You need to get to your friends and leave before the New Republic arrives. Once their ships finish their jump into the system, you know these guys won't hang around."

Mand furrowed her brows, realizing he was right. Sighing, she sat back on her feet and retracted her hand, crossing her arms. "Fine. There. Are we even now?"

Jespir gave a short laugh. "Not even close. Go. Now."

After a brief moment she nodded and stood, pulling him into a sitting position. He waved off further help from her, though, and even though she wanted to do more for him, she turned and made her way down the hallway, glancing back to watch him slowly stand and head in the opposite direction.

Thankfully she encountered no one else as she continued on, and upon finally arriving at the hangar after what felt like an hour of travel, she felt a familiar presence nearby. Carefully darting about the huge hangar to avoid detection, she eventually climbed into a small transport in the upper decks, meeting Kihara just inside it, leaning against a bulkhead.

"It's about time," Kihara greeted her with a wry smile. Mand remained serious, though, looking over her friend.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but maybe you should sit down."

Confused, Mand blinked. "I--I'm fine, why..."

Wordlessly, Kihara pointed up to the cockpit, where a robed, brown-haired man sat at the controls. Instantly, Mand felt her breath freeze in her chest, and as he turned to face her, she was sure her heart had stopped.

"_Rech_..."

He held her gaze for a long moment, and in his eyes Mand could read a dozen feelings. She knew her expression had to be just as conflicted. Before he could say anything in return, though, a booming voice filled the hangar, delivering orders.

"_Attention: incoming New Republic cruisers and fighters. All crew prepare for the jump to hyperspace._"

Rech swiftly returned to the ship's console, powering up its engines and raising its rear ramp. "That's our cue," he said simply.

Jarred from her stupor by the announcement, Mand stepped up to the cockpit and sat beside Rech at the controls, strapping in as she watched him gracefully navigate the transport out of the hangar and into space. As they sped toward Paneau away from the four Star Destroyers, they seemed to be drawing no attention, no fire, not even a chase from more agile fighters that hung readily in the hangar they had just left. Glancing at her husband she hadn't seen for almost six months, Mand saw him piloting their ship with his eyes closed, completely absorbed in the Force as she had never seen before.


	12. Chapter 12

With her arms crossed over her chest, Elena paced about in the Dalon Main Spaceport control center, surrounded by more than twenty Royal Guards and Royal Navy officers. Though not pacing with her, Kaydee remained close by her side, silent for the most part, but she had become more vocal in the past few minutes, as had some of the officers nearby.

"Mistress Elena," Kaydee pleaded kindly, "do sit down for a moment. You haven't rested for nearly three hours now."

"I'm fine, Kaydee," Elena responded tonelessly. "I'll rest when he gets back."

Kaydee stepped forward to protest further, but Commander Brent Jax, Koril's closest friend, stepped up instead, gripping her shoulders gently. He began to speak, but his expression changed suddenly, even more concerned.

"Elena, are you cold? You're shivering."

Elena shook her head, sure it was just her anxiety. Glad to finally hear somebody in the room _not_ address her as "m'lady", she sighed a little, looking up at Brent.

"Shouldn't we have heard something by now?"

Though Brent had shrugged and begun to respond to her question, she suddenly felt...distanced, as if she had partially been taken from the control room and transported elsewhere. She still saw Brent speaking to her, but she heard nothing he said. She felt her entire body turn ice cold abruptly, then a widespread, intense pain gripped her, doubling her over. Her arms crossed over her stomach, but the pain came from somewhere else, from someone else...

"Get a medic up here!" she finally heard as Brent ordered the others. Elena opened her eyes to find herself lying curled up on her side on a bench, surrounded by a handful of officers and Brent knelt beside her. She had to fight to gather enough breath to speak.

"No...no, I'm okay... It's not me." Calming her breathing as the pain subsided, she swallowed dryly and met Brent's gaze. "It's Koril. Something's happened to him."

It had happened before, months ago when Koril had suffered a brutal Force Lightning attack. Through their developing bond in the Force, she had somehow felt that he had been gravely wounded, though she hadn't been able to discern it at the time. As they had grown closer, only days away from their wedding, their bond seemed to have intensified, and she knew for sure that he was in danger.

Brent still looked greatly concerned for her, though, and just as he was about to ask her a question, a young officer at the sensor station behind them spoke up, cautiously excited.

"Incoming craft, Commander, from the lead Star Destroyer. It's a small shuttle, but it's not broadcasting any codes."

Brent looked back. "Where is it heading?"

"Its current flight path will bring it here, Commander. Orders?"

"Have the Edgepoint Squadron escort it down to landing pad 4-A2K. I want a team with me to meet it when it lands."

Sitting up, Elena ignored the protests of the officers around her and gripped Brent's arm, meeting his gaze intently. "I'm coming with you."

Though he seemed to disagree at first, he nodded eventually, standing as he gave orders to the remaining officers in the control center. He extended a hand to Elena, and surprising herself, she took it, standing with him as he kept a supportive hand at her elbow.

Five Royal Guards silently followed her and Brent from the center, piling into a turbolift to the ground floor. A pair of landspeeders met them as they exited the center, and as they sped toward the landing pad, Elena saw the shuttle they were racing to meet approaching the city in a rapid descent.

Her heart fluttered as she recognized the people she sensed on board, and hardly before the landspeeder had even come to a stop at the shuttle, she had already hopped out of it. Running around to its back side, she was relieved to see her friends step down its ramp as Brent and the Royal Guards caught up.

"Elena!" Mand said as she embraced her tightly. Elena looked between her and Kihara, standing beside her, looking them over for any obvious injuries.

"Are you alright? Why did they release both of you?"

Mand blinked, looking confused. "They didn't release us, we had to escape."

Elena furrowed her brows. "I don't understand."

"We had some help." Mand turned her head to the shuttle, where Elena was shocked to see Rech stepping down its ramp. He gave her a calm nod as he took his place beside Mand, but he remained silent. Her delight at seeing her friend was quickly diminished as she looked at the three, realization making her expression grim.

"If you escaped...then where's Koril?"

Their faces all fell simultaneously, and Kihara was the first to speak up cautiously. "Koril was up there?"

Elena nodded, and just as she was about to explain, Brent's commlink beeped behind them. He answered it, then looked up to the sky, and everyone present followed suit. Even though the sun was beginning to set, the four Star Destroyers in orbit above were gleaming brightly, easily seen in the darkening sky as unobstructed sunlight reflected off their hulls. Numerous other large ships slowly appeared, though, and surrounded the Destroyers, and both Mand and Brent spoke at the same time.

"The New Republic is here."

Far from relieved, though, Elena felt a sinking feeling grip her, and her fears were confirmed as she watched the four Destroyers disappear in a flash, jumping to hyperspace in four separate directions. The New Republic cruisers remained in place, though, but their presence no longer relaxed her. She stood numbly, staring at the space where the Destroyers had just been. It wasn't until Mand's tight grip on her shoulders that she looked back down and met her friend's gaze.

"We have to find him," Elena said determinedly. "We have to find him."

Though obviously concerned, Mand said nothing, releasing a shaky breath. Breaking Mand's grip, Elena turned and faced the Royal Guards, addressing Brent. "Commander Jax, I want the _Celestia_ ready for my departure within the hour."

Surprised but respectful, he nodded. "Of course, M'lady." As he directed the guards back to the landspeeders, Elena returned to her friends, her expression resolute.

"I'm going," she began strongly, "and there's nothing that any of you can do to stop me."

Mand glanced back at the other two, her own expression resigned. She looked back at Elena, nodding. "We won't. We'll come with you."

Looking at the three, Elena nodded and returned to the landspeeders, instructing the officer at the controls to take her and her friends to the Rys'tihn Manor to prepare for their journey.

* * *

Though still nursing his chest wound, Horatio drug a long cargo container behind him, glad it at least had repulsors to ease its weight. Still, tugging it along with two good arms was difficult enough, but he needed to move quickly before it was discovered what he had done.

Disabling the targeting systems of the _Vandal_ had been easy enough to do, allowing the shuttle Mand and the others were on to escape while the crew was busy preparing to jump. He hadn't been able to get back to weapons control to reverse it, though, and he knew they'd be hunting him soon. Once they noticed, that is. Hopefully he had at least enough time to get to the hangar.

A group of surly Weequays blocked the hangar's main door, and as Horatio tried to step past them, one shoved a blaster in his chest.

"And where do you think you're going, pretty boy?"

Horatio rolled his eyes and leveled an annoyed look at him. "As flattered as I am, I don't have time to play, Vreej. I've got to get this cargo to Sluis Van once we drop out of hyperspace."

Vreej narrowed his eyes. "_What_ cargo?" Horatio matched his expression.

"I don't know, Vreej, maybe Azira got tired of her bed linens and wanted something with flowers. I don't ask."

The Weequay snarled and shoved Horatio, pushing past him to have the others open the container. "The Admiral has ordered that nothing leave without inspection. Too many prisoners escaping. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

As the guards opened the container to find it full of spare droid parts, Horatio held his hands up in the air mockingly. "Oh, that was me. I confess."

Vreej turned back to Horatio, glaring at him. "Watch it, pretty boy, or I might have to break that dainty face of yours."

"Maybe later," Horatio said with a sardonic grin. "Can I do my job now?"

With a gruff grunt, Vreej and the others moved aside, allowing Horatio to pass. He continued pulling the container into the hangar, dragging it up to a small ship just barely big enough to fit the long box. He sealed the rear ramp and disabled the container's repulsors, allowing it to settle on the ship's floor with a heavy thud. He winced slightly, hoping he hadn't damaged its contents.

Stepping up to the cockpit, he quickly powered up the ship, preparing it for a quick departure. He listened intently for the characteristic slow whine as the _Vandal_ began pulling out of hyperspace. Once the Star Destroyer began to turn, changing its direction before it made another jump, Horatio punched his ship out of the hangar and into free space. He set the coordinates and fired up the hyperdrive, leaving the Destroyer behind.

Heaving a heavy sigh and hanging his head, Horatio felt the release of immense stress as the stars streaked past the viewport. He was free, finally, as he hadn't been for a long time. His relief lasted only momentarily, though, as he glanced back at the container behind him. He had another job to do.

Leaving the cockpit, he walked back over to it and opened it, carelessly tossing the droid parts aside. Once empty, he reached in and released a small latch on the inside that popped with a subtle _click_, freeing the container's apparent floor from its sides. He carefully pried the panel up, revealing a lower storage compartment. Inside it, Koril Rys'tihn lay motionless, breathing shallowly with his eyes locked open.

Taking in a deep breath, Horatio reached down and grabbed Koril under his shoulders, tugging him up and out of the container onto a padded bench on the ship's wall. After settling him, Horatio looked over the High Commander's roughened uniform and saw where Koril had been injected with the virus. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his own hair, observing Koril momentarily.

The only movement he knew he was going to see from Azira's latest victim, Horatio watched as Koril's eyes closed. The virus was attacking him, assaulting all of his sensory nerves while it incapacitated his motor nerves. It was designed to induce psychosis from the recurring extreme bouts of pain, allowing Azira to control her captives by offering to give them brief antidotes in exchange for information. But Koril seemed to be completely comatose after the attacks, as if still paralyzed by the virus. Had he been given something different?

As the attack ended, Koril's eyes opened, and Horatio noticed something that troubled him. Black specks were beginning to accumulate in Koril's brown irises, and that couldn't be a good sign. He sighed, and though he wasn't sure if Koril could hear him or not, he spoke anyway.

"You're in for a rough time, buddy."

Less than five minutes since the last attack, Koril's eyes closed again, making Horatio rub his own forehead in concern. More aggressive, different effects... As the attack subsided and Koril's eyes reopened, Horatio saw even more black specks. He was going to have find help for him, and fast.


End file.
